Fuse plug



Nov. 6 1923. 1 473,381

H. v. RAU 1 Filed Nov. 18. 1920 i 'Patented Nov. 6, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY V. RAU, F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 EDWIN B. STIMPSON COM- PANY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

FUSE PLUG.

Application filed November 18, 1920. Serial No. 424,993.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, HENRY V. RAU, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fuse Plugs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in fuse plugs and particularly to a novel form of one of the two contact members between whichthe fuse element proper or wire extends. The invention is particularly adapted to, and was designed for use in connection with, a familiar type of fuse plug, which comprises a enerally cup-shaped body of porcelain or other insulating material, with a contact piece extending through an aperture in the bottom of the cup, and a fuse element propor or wire soldered to the contact piece and extending through an aperture inthe side wall of the cup to a threaded contact shell which surrounds the cup circumferentially,

It has been the general practice to provide, as the contact piece which extends through the bottom of the cup, a metallic piece which can be inserted in position,'and which is more or less loosely held in position, one end of the fuse wire being soldered to this contact piece. On account of the loose connection between this contact piece and the body of the plug the fuse wire, be

cause it is fastened to the said contact piece and to the second contact piece on the outside of the body, is apt to be twisted or even broken when the plug is applied in use; and there are difiiculties in connection with the soldering operation, as well as other objections to the use of devices heretofore known.

By my invention I provide a construction in which the contact piece, which extends through the bottom. of the cup, is of such a form and character that it may be substantially immovably fixed in position and so that the soldered connection between it and the inner end of the fuse wire may be read ily made and secured against any tendency to loosen orto twist the fuse wire in the use of the device. Other objects and aims of the invention, more or less broad than those stated above, together with the advantages inherent, will be in part obvious and in part specifically referred to in the course of the following description of the elements, combinations,

arrangements of parts, and applications of appear from the claims.

In the accompanying-drawings, which are to be taken as part of this specification, and in which I have shown merely a preferred form of embodiment of the invention,

Figure l is a vertical cross sectional view through a familiar type of fuse plug provided with my invention;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2-2 of Figure I looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the same;

Figure at is a central vertical sectional view through one of the contact members before it is placed in position in the plug;

F lgure 5 is a View similar to Figure 1 illustrating a modification of the invention;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 66 of Figure 5 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 7 is a bottom plan view of the same. I

Referring to the numerals on the drawings, there is shown at 8 a body of porcelain or other suitable insulating material having in general the shape of a cup, wit-h an aperture extending through the bottom thereof. In this aperture is to be inserted one of the contact members, such as illustrated in Figure 4, and indicated by the reference character 9. The contact piece 9 is generally tubular, with a closed bottom 10 at one end, and with an outstanding flange 11 around its other and open end. The tubular member 9 is of a diameter to fit snugly the aperture in the bottom wall of the cup 8, and itis inserted into said aperture, with the flange 11 thereof resting either upon the outside of the bottom wall of the cup as in Figure 1, or on the inside of the bottom wall of the cup as in Figure 5. The tubular member is of metal susceptible of being drawn or formed under pressure, and capable of assuming a permanent set when so drawn or formed. Assuming that the tube has been put in position in the bottom aperinse t-inn the tube t the closed end of the tube, which will rest upon the inner-sine of the bottom wall of the cup (Figure l), or against the outer side of b en'i wall of th cup (Figure 5), the metal being under stbottom wall of the cue inov iv gripped if), which grip is inainti l l .-e

d takes a substantially permanent set. in car. c it .1. :t piece has been nesitio in Figure the dished clos d end of die tube faces the into ior or silt) cup def ni e bill for no end 0 ovid l a body 0" tire ls: i

, w.=rc elLC l'lCtL vhtreby the end of and inccl anically united with the dished end of the tube. In case the tubular centricpi' l )USllIlOHG/(i as in Figure 5, tin hcd clos end of the tube is outside the bottom o" be cup 8, id the open body of the tube, ,ch in corznnunicatio h the i1 tcriei! or ;he cup 8, provid a for the end of c f' se w. l for the solder which connects the end or the fuse wire with the contact piece. 3. ie other end of the fuse wire s out through. au openiiiig in the side wall of the cup and i of solder '16. which in i cha. ie t union will a shel 11.7. The open end i corered with a niica wine sition by a spun netal ca lVhen the pl is n (ligine l) or e flange 7 the case may be, forms on for the fuse wire, while ts'titues iii other contact.

9 positionc: 'i'

he invention may ing for the aper- ..use cup, a tubular 1 ca} able of being refined or drawn and of assuming a permanent it, closed at one end and with an outstant'i' flange around the other end,

within the aperture with against either 118 inside the bottom wall, dishing closed one of the tube to the resting; or the outside of and upsetting the form a second outstanding flange around the closed end of the tube and resting against the other s'de of the bottom wall of the cup, with the metal of the tube under str ss and the two outstanding flanges gripbottom wall of the cup between 0 that there can be no relative moveent between the bottom of the cup and the tube without distortion or breakage of one or the other.

From another eeint of view, tion may be said to consist of afuse body or cup provided with an aperture in its bottom wall and guierally tubular contact piec passingthrou h the aperture and having outstzmding i'ia iges contacting with the inner and ou'cr surfaces of the bottom wall and gripping the same immovably between them, and a wall extending across the tube the invenoc I l diet-mediate the said end flanges and constituting definite seat for the end of a fuse wire and for solder.

inns nuch as many changes could be made 11 he above *onstruction, and many apparently widely different embodiments of my invention could be made without deuating from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter con ained in the above ption or shown in the accompanying use shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a. hunting sense.

It is also to be understood that the Ian guage used in the following claims is intended to cover all the generic and specific tures of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, a' a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim 1 in a device of the kind described, a generally cup shaped body having an aperture through its bottom, a metallic tube hav ing a wall (attending thereacross intermediate the onus hereof and provided with tutstanding flanges at both ends, the tube fitting the i. pertire of the body bottom with gcs thereof resting upon 1 1 i the outstanding flan opposite sides of the oottom wall and gripping the same immovably between them, substantially as set forth.

Iii. novice as ct forth in claim 1, in which the closed end portion of the tube is dished towards the open end of the tube.

A device of the kind described comprisi a cup shaped fuse body provided with an aperture in its bottom wall and a generally tubular contact piece passing thr ugh the aperture and having outstandflanges contacting;- with the inner and outer surfaces of the bottom'wa-ll and gripping the same innnovably between them, and

wall extending across the tube intermediate the said end flanges and constituting a definite seat. for the end of a fuse wire and for solder.

4. The method which consists in providing for the apertured bottom wall of a fuse cup, a tubular metallic contact piece capable of being formed and of assuming a permanent set, closed at one end and with an outstand ing flange around the other end, inserting the tube within the aperture with the flange resting against one side of the bottom wall, dishing and upsetting the closed end of the tube to form a second outstanding flange around the closed end of the'tube and resting against the other side of the bottom wall of the cup, with the metal of the tube under stress and the two outstanding flanges gripping the bottom wall of the cup between them so that there can be no relative movement between the bottom of the cup and the tube without distortion of the tube or breakage of the cup.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

HENRY v. RAU. 

